John R. Thelin's A History of American Higher Education has become a standard in higher education studies. Designed to be used alongside this groundbreaking book or on its own, Essential Documents in the History of American Higher Education presents primary sources that chart the social, intellectual, political, and cultural history of American colleges and universities from the seventeenth century to the present. Documents are organized in sections that parallel the chapters in the first book both chronologically and thematically. Thelin introduces sections with brief headnotes establishing the context for each source. In addition to such landmark documents as the charter for the College of Rhode Island (1764), the Morrill Land Grand Act (1862), the GI Bill (1944), and the Knight Commission Report on College Sports (2010), Thelin includes lively firsthand accounts by students and teachers that tell what it was like to be a Harvard student in the 1700s, to participate in the campus riots of the 1960s, to be a female college athlete in the 1970s, or to enroll at UCLA as a economically disadvantaged Latina in the 1990s. Thelin also includes pieces by popular writers such as Robert Benchley and James Thurber on their own college days, as well as an excerpt from Groucho Marx's screwball film Horse Feathers that help illustrate how ingrained college life has become in American pop culture. Reflecting the richness of three centuries of American higher education, this complex and nuanced collection will be an essential resource for students of the history of education.


A perimeter trap crop barrier of hot cherry peppers, border-row insecticide applications, and a combination of the two management strategies were evaluated to see if they could protect a centrally located main crop of bell peppers from oviposition and infestation by the pepper maggot, Zonosemata electa (Say). In large plots, the main cash crop of bell peppers was protected from the majority of the oviposition and infestation by all three barriers. The combination sprayed/trap crop barrier provided the best protection against both oviposition and infestation and resulted in over 98% pest-free fruit at harvest. Maggots infested only 1.7% of the main crop fruit when protected by a sprayed or unsprayed trap crop barrier, compared with 15.4% in control plots. The perimeter sprayed/trap crop strategy was employed in three commercial fields in 2000 and 2001. The combination barrier resulted in superior insect control and reduced insecticide use at all commercial locations, compared with the same farms' past history or to farms using conventional and integrated pest management (IPM) methods. Economic analysis showed that the technique is more cost effective and profitable than relying on whole-field insecticide applications to control the pepper maggot. Farmer users were surveyed and found the perimeter trap crop technique simple to use, with many hard-to-measure benefits associated with worker protection issues, marketing, personnel/management relations, pest control and the environment. Use of the perimeter trap crop technique as part of an IPM or organic program can help improve crop quality and overall farm profitability, while reducing pesticide use and the possibility of secondary pest outbreaks.


In order to test the geomorphological hypothesis on the link between permafrost degradation and rock wall destabilisation, we survey all the rockfalls that occur in the central part of the Mont-Blanc massif using a network of observers since 2007. 511 rockfalls (100 < V < 45,000 m3) have been documented, year 2015 included. Between 2007 and 2014, the average number of destabilizations was 44 (from 17 in 2014 with a cold summer to 72 in 2009 with a relatively hot summer). In 2015, 160 events were recorded i.e. 4 times more than the annual average of the previous years. That makes the year 2015 similar to 2003 that was characterized by its summer heatwave triggering 152 rockfalls in the area currently covered by the network of observers, as shown by the analysis of a SPOT-5 image. Observations of 2015 are discussed and crossed with a statistical model of the Mean Annual Rock Surface Temperature (MARST) for the 1961-1990 period, implemented on a 4-m-resolution DEM of the Mont Blanc massif, and temperature measurements in three 10-m-deep boreholes at the Aiguille du Midi (3842 m a.s.l.), where the summer 2015 active layers have been the thickest since the start of measurements in 2009 (e.g. 3.6 m in the NE face against 2.9 m in average during the previous years). Before 2015, 90 % of the inventoried rockfalls occurred in areas where MARST is in the range -5 to 1°C, whereas only 50 % of the whole rock wall area above 2000 m a.s.l. covers this temperature range. With an air 0°C isotherm which sometimes exceeded the summit of Mont Blanc (4809 m a.s.l.) during the 2015 Summer, conditions were particularly unfavorable for mountaineering. Numerous rescues were carried out to climbers technically blocked by uncommon conditions or injured by rockfalls. On the normal route to the summit of Mont Blanc, two administrative closures of the Gouter hut (3835 m a.s.l.) were necessary to prevent climbers from the huge risk of rockfalls in the access couloir, known for its rockfall activity since its snow/ice cover thaws earlier and earlier in the hot season. This raises the question of the future of mountaineering in certain high altitude areas in the context of global warming.


The aim of this research was to understand the effect of educational level of gender types on pig farming production, a special case in Manokwari West Papua-Indonesia. The field study was done in Manokwari regency involved six districts. The respondents of 49 farmers chosen guided by local extensions selected from 15 villages. The participatory situation analysis employed to approach pig farmers by using questionnaire. A General Linear Model analysis of variances was used. All data were entered in Excel and analyzed using SPPS version 10.0. The conclusion that interaction between education and gender occur on household member and income earn. The female with adequate education will provide better income than the male. Understanding interaction effect of education level and gender will enable farmers to improve their pig productivities on scales and time.


In inflamed joints of rheumatoid arthritis, PGE2 is highly expressed, and IL-10 and IL-6 are also abundant. PGE2 is a well-known activator of the cAMP signaling pathway, and there is functional cross-talk between cAMP signaling and the Jak-STAT signaling pathway. In this study, we evaluated the modulating effect of PGE2 on STAT signaling and its biological function induced by IL-10 and IL-6, and elucidated its mechanism in THP-1 cells. STAT phosphorylation was determined by Western blot, and gene expression was analyzed using real-time PCR. Pretreatment with PGE2 significantly augmented IL-10-induced STAT3 and STAT1 phosphorylation, as well as suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) and IL-1R antagonist gene expression. In contrast, PGE2 suppressed IL-6-induced phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT1. These PGE2-induced modulating effects were largely reversed by actinomycin D. Pretreatment with dibutyryl cAMP augmented IL-10-induced, but did not change IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation. Misoprostol, an EP2/3/4 agonist, and butaprost, an EP2 agonist, augmented IL-10-induced STAT3 phosphorylation and SOCS3 gene expression, but sulprostone, an EP1/3 agonist, had no effect. H89, a protein kinase A inhibitor, and LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, diminished PGE2-mediated augmentation of IL-10-induced STAT3 phosphorylation. In this study, we found that PGE2 selectively regulates cytokine signaling via increased intracellular cAMP levels and de novo gene expression, and these modulating effects may be mediated through EP2 or EP4 receptors. PGE2 may modulate immune responses by alteration of cytokine signaling in THP-1 cells.


Abstract. The cryosphere's surface (snow, sea ice, and water) regulates global climate through several feedback mechanisms. Broadband albedo is a critical parameter determining the radiative energy balance of the complex atmosphere-cryosphere system, but there is currently no reliable, operational albedo retrieval product capable of assessing the global sea-ice albedo with sufficient spatial-temporal resolution for studies of sea-ice dynamics and for use in global climate models. A framework was established for remote sensing of sea ice albedo that integrates sea-ice physics with high computational efficiency, and can be applied to any optical sensor that measures appropriate radiance data. A scientific machine learning (SciML) approach was developed and trained on a large synthetic dataset (SD) constructed using a coupled atmosphere-surface radiative transfer model (RTM). The resulting RTM/SciML framework combines the RTM with a multi-layer artificial neural network SciML model. In comparison to the NASA MODIS MCD43 albedo product, this framework does not depend on observations from multiple days, and can be applied to single angular observations obtained under clear-sky conditions. Compared to the existing melt pond fraction-based approach for albedo retrieval, the RTM/SciML framework has the advantage of being applicable to a wide variety of cryosphere surfaces, both heterogeneous and homogeneous. Validation of the RTM/SciML albedo product using MODIS and SGLI data against measurements obtained from aircraft campaigns revealed excellent agreement, with mean absolute error of 0.047 for above 2000 clear-sky pixels.


ᮀ The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pre-irradiation with microwaves on the induction of radioadaptive response. In the 1 st phase of the study, 110 male mice were divided into 8 groups. The animals in these groups were exposed/sham-exposed to microwave, low dose rate gamma or both for 5 days. On day six, the animals were exposed to a lethal dose (LD). In the 2 nd phase, 30 male rats were divided into 2 groups of 15 animals. The 1 st group received microwave exposure. The 2 nd group (controls) received the same LD but there was no treatment before the LD. On day 5, all animals were whole-body irradiated with the LD. Statistically significant differences between the survival rate of the mice only exposed to lethal dose of gamma radiation before irradiation with a lethal dose of gamma radiation with those of the animals pre-exposed to either microwave (p=0.02), low dose rate gamma (p=0.001) or both of these physical adapting doses (p=0.003) were observed. Likewise, a statistically significant difference between survival rates of the rats in control and test groups was observed. Altogether, these experiments showed that exposure to microwave radiation may induce a significant survival adaptive response.


This publication of the Century Psychology Series is a product of an institute held at the University of Rochester and thus is a collection of articles by 28 contributors. It is organized after an "Introductory Chapter" into sections on Conceptualizations, Community Programs, New Approaches in Schools, and a concluding summary. On the whole it is a worthwhile volume with some specific and disturbing flaws. The introduction reviews beliefs and practices about mental health. It underlines the overwhelming need for new approaches to a variety of problems. The part on Conceptualizations is loosely organized and deals with a critique of the medical model of mental illness, a review of manpower needs and an analysis of mental health needs of the poor. The group of chapters on Community Programs is most interesting and describes utilization of college students in state hospitals, training housewives as psychotherapists,


Of all the countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia seems to have remained immovable since the beginning of the Arab Spring. What does conservatism mean, are reforms possible, and what is the pace of change? The clever mix of conservatism, reform and accommodation are the characteristic features of the Saudi Arabia system of adjustment in politics, culture and daily life. The report Clingendael publishes "Saudi Arabia, between Conservatism, Accommodation and Reform", edited by Roel Meijer and Paul Aarts and written by three distinguished young researchers Joas Wagemakers, Annemarie van Geel and Mariwan Kanie, addresses several of these features. The three subjects the report deals with are intellectual debates, civil society, and gender segregation in Saudi Arabia cover a wide range of topics that give an insight into the workings of these themes in different sections of society. The 'Riyad' research project that started in April 2010 and lasted to January 2012, of which this report it the result, was led by Institute Clingendael and is part of a larger program initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called the Islam Research Program (IRP).


Several of the common order tracking methods for solving noise and vibration problems of rotating machinery are reviewed. These methods include the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and resampling based order tracking algorithms. The time variant discrete Fourier transform (TVDFT) is developed as a new and alternative order tracking method. This method contains many advantages which the current order tracking methods do not possess. The TVDFT has the advantage of being very computationally efficient as well as the ability to minimise leakage errors. The basic TVDFT method may also be extended to a more complex method through the use of an orthogonality compensation matrix which can separate closely spaced orders as well as separate the contributions of crossing orders. The basic TVDFT is a combination of the FFT and the resampling based methods, a special case of the chirp-z transform. This method can be formulated in several different manners, one of which will give results matching the resampling based methods very closely. Both analytical and experimental data are used to establish the behavioural characteristics of this new method.


Many researchers have recently studied multi-level formulation strategies to solve the MDO problems and they basically distributed the coupling compatibilities across all disciplines, while single-level formulations concentrate all the controls at the system-level. In addition, approximation techniques became remedies for computationally expensive analyses and simulations. This paper studies comparisons of the MDO methods with respect to computing performance considering both conventional sequential and modern distributed/parallel processing environments. The comparisons show Individual Disciplinary Feasible (IDF) formulation is the most efficient for sequential processing and IDF with approximation (IDFa) is the most efficient for parallel processing. Results incorporating two popular design examples show this finding. The author suggests design engineers should firstly choose IDF formulation to solve MDO problems because of its simplicity of implementation and not-bad performance. A single drawback of IDF is requiring more memory for local design variables and coupling variables. Adding cheap memories can save engineers valuable time and effort for complicated multilevel formulations and let them free out of no solution headache of Multi-Disciplinary Analysis (MDA) of the Multi-Disciplinary Feasible (MDF) formulation.


We report a facile and scalable process to prepare nanostructured 3D porous networks combining graphene, N-doped carbon and silicon nanoparticles (G@Si@C) as a promising anode material for batteries. It consists of preparing polymethylmethacrylate particles decorated by Si/graphene oxide and polypyrrole (PPy) in a one-pot process, followed by an appropriate thermal treatment that decomposes PMMA and converts graphene oxide into graphene and polypyrrole into N-doped carbon. The so-formed electrically conducting 3D porous network containing Si nanoparticles inside the cell walls accommodates the large volume changes of Si during charging/discharging and provides a fast electrolyte penetration/diffusion. Therefore, the designed G@Si@C material presents an excellent reversible capacity of 740 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.14 A g−1 based on the total mass loading of the composite, with more than 99% coulombic efficiency, high rate capability and good cyclability, suggesting great potential for application as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.


RR Lyrae variables are widely used tracers of Galactic halo structure and kinematics, but they can also serve to constrain the distribution of the old stellar population in the Galactic bulge. With the aim of improving their near-infrared photometric characterization, we investigate their near-infrared light curves, as well as the empirical relationships between their light curve and metallicities using machine learning methods. We introduce a new, robust method for the estimation of the light-curve shapes, hence the average magnitudes of RR Lyrae variables in the KS band, by utilizing the first few principal components (PCs) as basis vectors, obtained from the PC analysis of a training set of light curves. Furthermore, we use the amplitudes of these PCs to predict the light-curve shape of each star in the J-band, allowing us to precisely determine their average magnitudes (hence colors), even in cases where only one J measurement is available. Finally, we demonstrate that the KS-band light-curve parameters of RR Lyrae variables, together with the period, allow the estimation of the metallicity of individual stars with an accuracy of ∼0.2–0.25 dex, providing valuable chemical information about old stellar populations bearing RR Lyrae variables. The methods presented here can be straightforwardly adopted for other classes of variable stars, bands, or for the estimation of other physical quantities.


The calf spleen purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) ternary complex with an N(7)-acycloguanosine inhibitor and a phosphate ion has been crystallized in the cubic space group P2(1)3, with unit-cell parameter a = 94.11 A and one monomer per asymmetric unit. X-ray diffraction data were collected using synchrotron radiation (Station X31, EMBL Outstation, DESY, Hamburg). The crystal structure was refined to a resolution of 2.2 A and R and R(free) values of 17.5 and 24.5%, respectively. The acyclonucleoside inhibitor is bound in the active site in an inverted ('upside-down') orientation of the purine base compared with natural substrates. The side chain of Asp243 forms two hydrogen bonds with the base ring: N(delta) donates a hydrogen to N(3) and O(delta) accepts a hydrogen from the guanine N(2)-amino group. N(1)--H of the base is hydrogen bonded to O(epsilon) of Glu201, while N(9) accepts a hydrogen bond from Thr242 O(gamma). In addition, a water molecule (W417) bridges the N(2)-amino group of the base and O(epsilon) of Glu201. In the phosphate-binding site, a phosphate ion is bound to Ser33, His64, Arg84, His86, Ala116 and Ser220. The acyclic chain of the N(7)-acycloguanosine inhibitor is in a folded conformation and together with a water molecule (W388) occupies the pentose-binding site, with possible hydrogen bonds to Tyr88 O(eta) and His257 N(delta 1). This new binding mode fully accounts for the previously observed substrate properties of 7-beta-D-ribofuranosides of hypoxanthine and guanine. It also provides a new starting point for the design of inhibitors of PNP for therapeutic and other applications.


The next generation of large scale WIMP direct detection experiments have the potential to go beyond the discovery phase and reveal detailed information about both the particle physics and astrophysics of dark matter. We report here on early results arising from the development of a detailed numerical code modeling the proposed DARWIN detector, involving both liquid argon and xenon targets. We incorporate realistic detector physics, particle physics and astrophysical uncertainties and demonstrate to what extent two targets with similar sensitivities can remove various degeneracies and allow a determination of dark matter cross sections and masses while also probing rough aspects of the dark matter phase space distribution. We find that, even assuming dominance of spin-independent scattering, multi-ton scale experiments still have degeneracies that depend sensitively on the dark matter mass, and on the possibility of isospin violation and inelasticity in interactions. We find that these experiments are best able to discriminate dark matter properties for dark matter masses less than around 200 GeV. In addition, and somewhat surprisingly, the use of two targets gives only a small improvement (aside from the advantage of different systematics associated with any claimed signal) in the ability to pin down dark matter parameters when compared with one target of larger exposure.


Recently, 5G systems started to explore the usage of mmWave bands both for access and backhaul. Cellular systems operating at such frequencies would achieve a significantly higher capacity than current systems due to the large frequency block available. Due to the propagation characteristics, highly directional mmWave links may frequently switch between Line-of-sight, Non Line-of-sight and outage if the beam is blocked by obstacles. Such intermittent connectivity combined with high throughput causes TCP to perform very badly. In this paper, we study the performance of several TCP variants over intermittent mmWave links. We focus on latency aspects, use ns-3 with extensions for mmWave links and evaluate the TCP performance with real Linux TCP stacks using the Direct Code Execution (DCE) framework. We also investigate the benefit of bufferbloat solutions such as CoDel, with different TCP variants. We investigate the impact of CoDels configuration parameters and different RTTs on TCP throughput, fairness and queueing delay. The problem of slow recovery of TCP after NLOS periods is less pronounced when multiple flows coexist under CoDel only if some of the flows have very short RTTs. However, under presence of NLOS, the fairness between different flows with different RTT values is reduced.


Introduction: Inflammation is a major risk factor for heart failure; inflammatory prostaglandin E is elevated in myocardium, and has been associated with development of heart failure via cardiac LV remodeling, but the mechanisms remain unclear.

Hypothesis: We hypothesize that proinflammatory prostaglandin signaling might affect Left ventricular contractility by directly impairing β-adrenergic (βAR) signaling.

Methods and Results: Pretreatment with Prostaglandin E impairs intracellular PKA phosphorylation of substrates in myocardium and cardiac contractile responses under β-adrenergic stimulation. Both prostaglandin E and β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol induce intracellular cAMP activities in myocytes. However, the cAMP signal under prostaglandin stimulation is confined along the plasma membrane whereas the cAMP signal under isoproterenol stimulation is distributed throughout the cells, including the intracellular sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), a calcium storage compartment critical for myocyte calcium signaling and contractile response. Interestingly, the prostaglandin E-induced cAMP signal is sufficient for PKA activation, leading phosphorylation and activation of phosphodiesterase 4 on the plasma membrane, a group of enzymes associated with membrane βARs for cAMP degradation. Moreover, pretreatment of prostaglandin E prevents dissociation of phosphodiesterase 4 from βAR induced by isoproterenol, a step necessary for cAMP diffusion from the plasma membrane to the intracellular SR. Together, prostaglandin E induces activation of phosphodiesterase 4 in βAR complex and prevents the cAMP diffusion from the plasma membrane to the SR under isoproterenol stimulation, and inhibits calcium signaling and contractile response in myocytes and animal hearts.

Conclusions: This study provides a novel mechanism underlying the phosphodiesterase-mediated signaling crosstalk between two neurohormonal stimulation in myocardium under chronic conditions, and suggests that proinflammatory prostaglandin signaling may impair β-adrenergic contractile in the development of heart failure.


Most approaches to model-based diagnosis describe a diagnosis for a system as a set of failing components that explains the symptoms. In order to characterize the typically very large number of diagnoses, usually only the minimal such sets of failing components are represented. This method of characterizing all diagnoses is inadequate in general, in part because not every superset of the faulty components of a diagnosis necessarily provides a diagnosis. In this paper we analyze the notion of diagnosis in depth exploiting the notions of implicate/implicant and prime implicate/implicant. We use these notions to propose two alternative approaches for addressing the inadequacy of the concept of minimal diagnosis. First, we propose a new concept, that of kernel diagnosis, which is free of the problems of minimal diagnosis. Second, we propose to restrict the axioms used to describe the system to ensure that the concept of minimal diagnosis is adequate.


BACKGROUND
Although it is well established that prisoners commonly have histories of childhood trauma, little is known about mediators between exposure to trauma and criminal behaviour.

HYPOTHESES
We hypothesised that the experience of trauma in adulthood, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotional dysregulation would mediate the relationship between childhood traumatic events and later criminal behaviour.

METHODS
Eighty-nine female prisoners were interviewed using standardised scales, in a cross-sectional study design. History of traumatic events, DSM-5 PTSD and emotional regulation were assessed, along with offending and demographic information. A series of regression and mediation analyses were undertaken on the data.

RESULTS
Almost all (91%) of the 89 women reported both childhood and adulthood trauma. Over half (58%) met the criteria for DSM-5 PTSD. Multiple traumas were significantly associated with seriousness of offence, as indicated by sentence length. Adult experience of trauma was the only significant mediator between childhood trauma and subsequent offending.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Women who have experienced multiple traumatic events may be more likely to commit serious offences, so it is very important to assess and meet their trauma-related needs. While prisons should never be used as substitutes for healthcare facilities, when women or girls are sent to prison, the opportunity for constructive interventions must be seized. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Results are submitted of sanatorium-and-health resort treatment of 104 patients operated on with the aid of the organ-sparing and resection techniques for complicated forms of gastroduodenal ulcers. An algorithm of therapeutic measures taking account of sanatorium-and-health resort treatment has been worked out. It allows to lessen considerably the postoperative complications, to shorten duration of temporary disability, to reduce permanent disability after resection of the stomach 3-fold.


Summary A silver-free methodology was developed for the synthesis of unprecedented N-heterocyclic carbene ruthenium indenylidene complexes bearing a bidentate picolinate ligand. The highly stable (SIPr)(picolinate)RuCl(indenylidene) complex 4a (SIPr = 1,3-bis(2-6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolidin-2-ylidene) demonstrated excellent latent behaviour in ring closing metathesis (RCM) reaction and could be activated in the presence of a Brønsted acid. The versatility of the catalyst 4a was subsequently demonstrated in RCM, cross-metathesis (CM) and enyne metathesis reactions.


: The quest to search an ideal direct posterior restorative material has been a challenge for researchers and fraternities in Restorative Dentistry. At one point, gold alloy and pure gold were considered to be the ideal in direct and indir ect posterior restorations and over time it was replaced due to its cost factor by other successors. Silver Amalgam has been the traditional material for filling cavities in posterior teeth for the last 150 years and due to its effectiveness and cost, amalgam is still the material of choice in dentistry. As tooth-coloured direct resin-based composite restorations and glass ionomer restorations have become popular with the lay public, clinicians rarely offer gold restorations as an option to patients. The simple fact that tooth-coloured restorations offer better aesthetic results seems to imply that they are superior in other aspects such as strength, wear and longevity. This misconception has led to abuse of the currently available aesthetic materials, cessation of proven techniques of cavity preparation and general ignorance of the shortcomings of the new and reportedly improved direct posterior restorations. The purpose of this article is to discuss about the most popular direct posterior restoratives – Direct Filling Gold, Silver Amalgam, Glass ionomer cement and Resin-based Composites – and provide direction on how they are best used within current limitations.


Silicone-modified butyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate copolymer latex was prepared via semi-continuous emulsion polymerization. Octamethyl cyclotetrasiloxane (D4) was used to link acrylate and potassium persulfate was used as initiator (KPS). Effect of D4 content on polymerization of acrylate and properties of latex film were discussed in details. The results showed that the properties of acrylate could be improved by the introduction of D4. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the freeze resistance of copolymer was effectively improved. In addition, effect of D4 content on adhesive strength of copolymer was also investigated.


Motion control systems with distributed architecture where multiple input/output devices are connected to the upper layer controller by fast digital communication (fieldbus) became an industrial standard. This paper presents design of a modular input/output device which can process signals from multiple sensors, drive multiple actuators and act as a Slave or Master node in EtherCAT fieldbus network.User-defined algorithms can be easily implemented to preprocess input signals, combine multiple signals or close local control loops with extremely high sampling rates which makes the difference to standard off-the-shelf solutions. To meet these requirements and simplify hardware design, our device is based on System-on-Chip with both programmable logic (FPGA) and classic processor (CPU) ARM cores. Data processing including user algorithms can be done entirely in FPGA which provides very low latency and no jitter, and also on CPU for more complex computations with advantage of tight integration between FPGA and CPU. In this paper we provide description of hardware design, system architecture and typical applications.


The discovery of long-term potentiation (LTP) transformed research on the neurobiology of learning and memory. This did not happen overnight, but the discovery of an experimentally demonstrable phenomenon reflecting activity-driven neuronal and synaptic plasticity changed discussions about what might underlie learning from speculation into something much more concrete. Equally, however, the relationship between the discovery of LTP and research on the neurobiology of learning and memory has been reciprocal; for it is also true that studies of the psychological, anatomical and neurochemical basis of memory provided a developing and critical intellectual context for the physiological discovery. The emerging concept of multiple memory systems, from 1970 onwards, paved the way for the development of new behavioural and cognitive tasks, including the watermaze described in this paper. The use of this task in turn provided key evidence that pharmacological interference with an LTP induction mechanism would also interfere with learning, a finding that was by no means a foregone conclusion. This reciprocal relationship between studies of LTP and the neurobiology of memory helped the physiological phenomenon to be recognized as a major discovery.


The NDLR (National Digital Learning Resources) mission is to promote and support Higher Education sector staff in the collaboration development and sharing of learning resources and associated teaching practices. A key impact of the service is to support greater collaboration for developing and sharing digital teaching resources and associated teaching experience across all subject disciplines and communities of academics and promote good practice use and re-use of existing resources. By being empowered by the support of communities of academics, staff from different disciplines can share effort and expertise as they raise the bar collectively for how they support their students learning, embed research in their teaching and potentially embracing partnerships with research and industry, both in Ireland and Internationally. The service has developed a Three Stage Evolutionary Pathway for Supporting NDLR Users. This presentation will describe the three levels of support available to Irish academics. Individual Academics - Level 1 Local Innovation Projects (LIPs) The NDLR, through the local Institutional representative, provides support and encourages the development and sharing of reusable teaching and learning resources to members of academia through the coordination of a number of local initiatives and local supports Groupings of Academics - Level 2 Learning Innovation Community Support Projects (LINCs) Learning Innovation Community Support Projects (LInCS) are activities (around the development and utilisation of learning resources) to encourage the emergence of academic groupings around particular subject disciplines (i.e. SMARTCoPs). SMART Communities of Practice - Level 3 Sustainable, Manageable, Active, Relevant and Reflective, Targeted (SMART CoPs) SMART CoPs are cross-institutional subject discipline related communities associated with locally funded institutional learning innovation projects (LIPS) and cross-institutional collaborative projects funded (LINCs). They are nurtured and sustained from support given to individual academics and groupings at both local and national levels. SMART CoPs are focused on targeted funded RLO development through projects, and evolve from successful collaborations through LINC projects.


Abstract On 23 March 2012, at 09:25 UTC, an M w  5.4 earthquake occurred in the eastern Musgrave Ranges of north‐central South Australia, near the community of Ernabella (Pukatja). Several small communities in this remote part of central Australia reported the tremor, but there were no reports of injury or significant damage. This was the largest earthquake recorded on mainland Australia in the past 15 years and resulted in the formation of a 1.6 km long surface deformation zone that included reverse‐fault scarps with a maximum vertical displacement of more than 0.5 m, extensive ground cracking, and numerous rock falls. The earthquake occurred in nonextended stable continental region (SCR) cratonic crust, more than 1900 km from the nearest plate boundary. Surface deformation from the Ernabella earthquake provides additional constraint on relations of surface‐rupture length to earthquake magnitude. Such relations aid in interpreting Australia's rich record of prehistoric seismicity and contribute to improved estimates of SCR seismic hazard worldwide. Based upon an analysis of new and reinterpretation of existing surface‐rupture length data, faults in nonextended stable cratonic Australia appear to produce longer surface ruptures (for earthquakes larger than M w ∼6.5) than rupture lengths estimated using existing moment‐to‐rupture length scaling relations. The implication is that the estimated maximum, or characteristic, magnitude of paleoearthquakes in such settings may be overestimated where the estimate is based only on the length of the prehistoric fault scarp.


To determine whether intra-operative videoendoscopy provides useful information on the integrity of gastrointestinal anastomoses, laboratory and clinical studies were undertaken. In the dog model, the videoendoscope was inserted per orum to visualize side-to-side (gastrojejunostomy) and end-to-end (jejunojejunostomy) anastomoses and to establish endoscopic criteria of normal anastomosis, verified by examination of the specimen. Technically faulty anastomoses were then constructed and inspected endoscopically to determine the signs of poor technique. In clinical application, the videoendoscope was used to inspect the anastomoses after low anterior resection, revision of gastric bypass, and choledochoduodenostomy. The laboratory results indicate that direct visualization of a defect in suture-line with the end-viewing endoscope is difficult, although indirect signs of trouble are helpful. Conversely, the appearance of a perfect anastomosis without any indirect signs of poor technique is accurate in the assurance of a trouble-free anastomosis. The best clinical use is in low anterior resection of the rectum and the worst is in choledochoduodenostomy. It is concluded that videoendoscopic inspection of anastomosis is only of limited help in determining the integrity of a difficult anastomosis, and much work is required to perfect both the instrument and technique before general use is recommended.


Most industrial organization research, including applications to competition policy, undertakes partial equilibrium analysis in a single sector, often with a fixed number of firms. For welfare analysis, this approach is valid only if the rest of the economy is perfectly competitive, an assumption far from reality. This article examines competition policy in a simple, multisector, general equilibrium model with free entry and exit, allowing for differing distortions in each sector. Flows between sectors readily reverse standard prescriptions. But such results may be partially offset or overturned yet again when incorporating free entry and exit. Analysis of efficiencies also changes qualitatively.


Neurotensin, a gut peptide, stimulates the growth of colorectal cancers that possess the high-affinity neurotensin receptor (NTR1). Sodium butyrate (NaBT) is a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) that induces growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis of colorectal cancers. Previously, we had shown that NaBT increases nuclear GSK-3β expression and kinase activity; GSK-3β functions as a negative regulator of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. The purpose of our current study was to determine: (a) whether HDACi alters NTR1 expression and function, and (b) the role of GSK-3β/ERK in NTR1 regulation. Human colorectal cancers with NTR1 were treated with various HDACi, and NTR1 expression and function were assessed. Treatment with HDACi dramatically decreased endogenous NTR1 mRNA, protein, and promoter activity. Overexpression of GSK-3β decreased NTR1 promoter activity (> 30%); inhibition of GSK-3β increased NTR1 expression in colorectal cancer cells, indicating that GSK-3β is a negative regulator of ERK and NTR1. Consistent with our previous findings, HDACi significantly decreased phosphorylated ERK while increasing GSK-3β. Selective MAP/ERK kinase/ERK inhibitors suppressed NTR1 mRNA expression in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, and reduced NTR1 promoter activity by ∼70%. Finally, pretreatment with NaBT prevented neurotensin-mediated cyclooxygenase-2 and c-myc expression and attenuated neurotensin-induced interleukin-8 expression. HDACi suppresses endogenous NTR1 expression and function in colorectal cancer cell lines; this effect is mediated, at least in part, through the GSK-3β/ERK pathway. The downregulation of NTR1 in colorectal cancers may represent an important mechanism for the anticancer effects of HDACi. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(8); 2389–98. ©2010 AACR.


Adequate nutrition and growth during the neonatal period are important, especially for preterm infants, for whom there is evidence of poor nutrient intakes and growth, and this has important implications for their health in later life. Increased nutritional support while on the neonatal intensive care unit has been shown to improve growth, but such support is not universally available. Being able to carry out and interpret a nutritional assessment is therefore an important skill for paediatricians caring for neonates. This article aims to explain how to use nutritional assessment in neonates and provides some tools to make this process as straightforward as possible.


Most people understand a computation as a process evoked when a computational agent acts on its inputs under the control of an algorithm. The classical Turing machine model has long served as the fundamental reference model because an appropriate Turing machine can simulate every other computational model known. The Turing model is a good abstraction for most digital computers because the number of steps to execute a Turing machine algorithm is predictive of the running time of the computation on a digital computer. However, the Turing model is not as well matched for the natural, interactive, and continuous information processes frequently encountered today. Other models whose structures more closely match the information processes involved give better predictions of running time and space. Models based on transforming representations may be useful.


Abstract The two-dimensional interface problem of statics of elastic mixtures is investigated when differences between displacement vectors and stress vectors are given on the contact curve. For this problem special potentials with complex densities are constructed and by means of them the contact problem is reduced to a system of integral equations of Fredholm type. Analysis of the equations obtained is given.


Objective. There is little descriptive research on the motion the body displays during the golf swing. The purpose of this research is to review the modern golf swing and
compare its motion to the classic golf swing.
Discussion. The comparison revealed subtle but significant differences in the backswing and the follow-through positions. The potential implications for power and injury,
particularly of the lower back, are discussed. The discussion describes a third swing, the hybrid swing, which is a combination of the classic and modern swing. The hybrid
swing may potentially reduce the chances of sustaining a low back injury while still retaining the power of the modern swing.
Conclusion. The golf swing has evolved over time as a result of a combination of advanced equipment, course design and human experimentation. The hybrid swing is
being taught by some golf professionals as a balance between the power-potential of the modern swing and the 'back-friendly\' nature of the classic swing, though no studies
have so far been conducted on its efficacy. Further investigation into the three golf swings, classic, modern and hybrid, is required to determine which swing is the most effective
while also being friendly to the body. Such research will make possible the development programmes aimed at reducing golf injury rates, particularly to the lower back. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 18 (3) 2006: pp. 80-91


Abstract. Tropical mountainous regions are often identified as landslide hotspots with particularly vulnerable populations. Anthropogenic factors are assumed to play a role in the occurrence of landslides in these populated regions, yet the relative importance of these human-induced factors remains poorly documented. In this work, we aim to explore the impact of forest cover dynamics, roads and mining activities on the occurrence of landslides in the Rift flank west of Lake Kivu in the DR Congo. To do so, we compile an inventory of 2730 landslides using © Google Earth imagery, high resolution topographic data, historical aerial photographs from the 1950's and extensive field surveys. We identify old and recent (post 1950's) landslides, making a distinction between deep-seated and shallow landslides, road landslides and mining landslides. We find that susceptibility patterns and area distributions are different between old and recent deep-seated landslides, which shows that natural factors contributing to their occurrence were either different or changed over time. Observed shallow landslides are recent processes that all occurred in the past two decades. The analysis of their susceptibility indicates that forest dynamics and the presence of roads play a key role in their regional distribution pattern. Under similar topographic conditions, shallow landslides are more frequent, but of smaller size, in areas where deforestation has occurred since the 1950's as compared to shallow landslides in forest areas, i.e. in natural environments. We attribute this size reduction to the decrease of regolith cohesion due to forest loss, which allows for a smaller minimum critical area for landsliding. In areas that were already deforested in 1950's, shallow landslides are less frequent, larger, and occur on less steep slopes. This suggests a combined role between regolith availability and soil management practices that influence erosion and water infiltration. Mining activities increase the odds of landsliding. Mining and road landslides are larger than shallow landslides but smaller than the recent deep-seated instabilities. The susceptibility models calibrated for shallow and deep-seated landslides do not predict them well, highlighting that they are controlled by environmental factors that are not present under natural conditions. Our analysis demonstrates the role of human activities on the occurrence of landslides in the Lake Kivu region. Overall, it highlights the need to consider this context when studying hillslope instability characteristics and distribution patterns in regions under anthropogenic pressure. Our work also highlights the importance of considering the timing of landslides over a multi-decadal period of observation.


Background and Objectives: While the pressing need for building a stronger socio-economic, political, cultural, and industrial development still permeates in most developing nations, scholars have identified the provision of qualitative and accessible tertiary educational system as bedrock for the transformations required to achieve these needs. However, achieving qualitative educational standard extends beyond direct classroom knowledge dissemination but also encompasses other types of on-campus activities. Thus, having knowledge of the service quality on offer by these activities may assist in determining if there is need for improvement, and areas, where such improvement is needed. Having this in mind, this study was conducted to examine the perception of service quality in two Higher Educational Institutions in North-Western Nigeria. Materials and Methods: From a total population of 429 final year students, 291 students were conveniently selected, through the proportionate stratified sampling technique, to participate in the research. Furthermore, the descriptive survey design was employed to elicit responses from these students, through structured and close ended questionnaire. Results: after the 180 responses, which were considered usable for analysis were subjected to a one-sample t-test, it was revealed that while the students are of the perception that lecturers, university management, general university environment, and non-teaching staff, meets up with the requirement for service quality, they are however of the view that there is need for improvement in tangibles infrastructures such as hostel infrastructures and teaching/learningenvironment infrastructures. Conclusion: In view of these findings, we conclude by recommending a need to upgrade in these tangible infrastructures and also identify the important areas in need of future research.


Abstract Context: Cationic lipoplexes are less toxic than viral gene vectors and more convenient to prepare but their efficiencies of gene delivery are generally lower. Objective: To develop ortho ester-based, pH-sensitive lipoplexes for efficient gene delivery both in cultured cells and in vivo. Materials and methods: A novel cationic and acid-labile lipid (DOC) containing a cationic headgroup and a cholesterol-derived lipid tail joined together by an acid-labile ortho ester linker was designed and synthesized. DOC was formulated into liposomes with the conical helper lipid DOPE, and then into lipoplexes with plasmid DNA encoding a luciferase reporter gene. The physicochemical properties of the lipoplexes (size, surface charge and pH-sensitivity) were characterized. Gene delivery by DOC/DOPE/DNA lipoplexes was also evaluated in CV-1 cells and in CD-1 mice following intratracheal injection. Lipoplexes consisting of the acid-stable cationic lipid DC-Chol were characterized as a control. Results: DOC formed cationic lipoplexes with DOPE and DNA. After incubation at acidic pH 4.6, DOC/DOPE/DNA lipoplexes lost their positive charges and aggregated with one another as a result of DOC hydrolysis. Both in CV-1 cell culture and in CD-1 mice, DOC/DOPE/DNA lipoplexes increased the luciferase gene expression by 5- to 10-fold compared with the analogous but acid-stable DC-Chol/DOPE/DNA lipoplexes. Discussion and conclusion: Incorporation of an acid-labile ortho ester linker into a cationic lipid is a viable approach to enhance gene delivery by the corresponding lipoplexes both in cultured cells and in vivo.


Motivated by recent experiments, we investigate the nonreciprocal magnetoelastic interaction between the surface acoustic phonons of dielectric non-magnetic substrates and magnons of proximity nanomagnets. The magnetization dynamics exerts rotating forces at the edges of the nanomagnet that causes the nonreciprocal interaction with surface phonons due to its rotation-momentum locking. This coupling induces the nonreciprocity of the surface phonon transmission and a nearly complete phonon diode effect by several (tens of) magnetic nanowires of high (ordinary) magnetic quality. Phase-sensitive microwave transmission is also nonreciprocal that can pick up clear signals of the coherent phonons excited by magnetization dynamics. Nonreciprocal pumping of phonons by precessing magnetization is predicted using Landauer-Büttiker formalism.


This texts reviews Adil Haque's fundamental book Law and Morality at War (OUP, 2017). It presents some of the main ideas in the book, particularly the debate between orthodox and revisionists in contemporary just war theory, a philosophical analysis of the principles of distinction, discrimination and proportionality, and insightful analysis on discrete issues such as human shields and war crimes. The review raises three different issues regarding the book. First, it questions whether the philosophically sophisticated analysis of the key guiding principles in war can actually provide practical guidance to participants. Second, it questions Haque's defence on the symmetrical application of the rules to just and unjust combatants by suggesting that it is overinclusive. That is, "genocidal" belligerents should not enjoy this type of treatment. Finally, it suggests that in order to provide practical guidance to participants, more attention should be paid on how the law empirically affects behaviour in war.


Peer Review: This article has been peer reviewed through the double-blind process of Studies in the Maternal, which is a journal published by the Open Library of Humanities. Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Combined forms of allergy to the wormwood pollen and brucellae was experimentally reproduced. Guinea pigs were sensitized primarily with the wormwood pollen, and in 3 weeks, 2 and 4 weeks with brucellae, in addition. Preliminary (2 and 4 weeks before brucellae administration) sensitization with the said pollen aided accelerated and marked formation of delayed allergy to the microbial antigen. The effect of intensification of microbial allergy was temporary. In administration of the microbes directly after the pollen allergen no significant influence of the latter on the formation of allergic reactivity to brucellae was noted.


Over the past decade, there has been tremendous growth in the movement to enhance the delivery of quality services through the use of evidence-based interventions. While a growing number of reviews have examined the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions for older adults, few have examined the status of psychosocial interventions for the older population. The purpose of this special volume is to increase researchers' and practitioners' knowledge of evidencebased treatments for older adults and their family members. To this end, a thorough review of the extant research on psychosocial interventions available to address the varied health, mental health/cognitive, and social role challenges faced by older adults and family caregivers is provided.


Metformin and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are structural analogs. They have opposite effects at multiple points on complex signaling pathways that coordinate energy, molecular synthesis, growth, and metabolism with nutrient intake. Excess saturated fats and glucose may initiate the methylation of arginine residues in proteins involved in the transcription of genes mediating inflammation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and oncogenesis. Free ADMA may appear in the circulation after proteolysis of these proteins when the work of transcription is complete and ADMA subsequently functions as a signaling molecule. In children, ADMA levels are not significantly related to the usual metabolic syndrome risk factors but instead there is a significant association between ADMA and alkaline phosphatase – a marker of normal growth. There is only one direct study that shows that ADMA negates the metabolic effects of metformin. There are no investigations that demonstrate that metformin blocks the effect of ADMA and so this review must be considered hypothesis generating. The potential implications of the metformin-ADMA relationship merit further investigation.


Trust represents a significant aspect of human behavior and is often a precondition for mutual interactions and cooperation in a society. Decision making is trust-based and the trust is founded on experiences and assessments indicating beliefs about the relying party to perform a given task. Ultimately, trust may be considered a social and subjective phenomenon based on various factors, usually on personal experience or direct interactions. In the absence of personal experience, however, trust often has to be based on referrals from others that can be indicated as a reputation.

In addition, trust is usually a precondition for interactions or transactions among parties in distributed computer environments. These are mostly considered to be environments and services of e-business where parties are generally separated in space thus making personal experience practically impossible. Information security does not assure trust in such environments; mostly, it is a required precondition although insufficient. Trust is not a security mechanism but a subjective concept that includes both social and psychological aspects. Various authors have denoted trust as a soft security mechanism that may, unlike traditional security mechanisms (e.g., authentication, access control), provide protection against the information and service providers who act deceitfully. This, in turn, improves the quality of services and the reliability of providers and other entities in the network. Therefore, trust and reputation management is an essential area when supporting consumers who apply e-business services.

This dissertation examines the existing trust mechanisms in computing environments; most authors denote them as standard security mechanisms where the social and interactive components are lacking. This weakness is overcome by formalizing trust as a soft security mechanism and by taking numerous psychological and social factors into consideration. We define an abstract trust model ATM = (G, Ω, Τ, F, O, Γ, Π) with the appropriate components that allow different computational models to determine the degree of trust or trustworthiness. The trust degree represents a basis to make decisions about the future interactions among entities and also helps to identify malicious behavior.

Next, the components of the trust model ATM are formally defined in order to present the quantitative approach of Josang's subjective logic and extend the qualitative approach with the appropriate qualitative algebra that models the behavior of agents. It must be stressed, however, that trust is not transitive in general. Assuming recommendation trust, different algorithms of the graph theory (e.g. transitive closures, depth first search) and the appropriate algebraic structures (e.g. semirings, distributive lattices), the method of how to compute the trust degree among the entities that have not interacted directly is presented.

The trust requirements of the interacting entities (e.g. users, resources, services) are represented through the interaction trust polices that are based on the interaction history. Those policies are formally defined by the pure past temporal logic language PPLTL with suitable algorithms for compliance checking.

Service-oriented architectures (SOAs) represent a new concept of building distributed e-business software solutions based on the composition of web services as autonomous functional units. The principle of the orchestration and choreography of web services is presented. The importance of the orchestration with BPEL language is stressed as it is a widely accepted and supported industrial standard. The BPEL language is mapped into the formal language of Petri Nets. The appropriate algorithms for trust degree computation of service composites are defined according to the trust model ATM. In this way, trust mechanisms are added not only to atomic, but also to composite services (i.e. BPEL business processes).

The number of WS-* standards from OASIS and W3C organizations exist that mostly cover the interoperability and security of web services but none of them consider trust as a soft security mechanism. Consequently, the contribution of this dissertation is also an extension of open standards (WS-Trust, WS-Security) through which we incorporate a qualitative and quantitative trust model in the SOA infrastructure as standard building blocks. With them the architecture of trust and the reputation management system using SOA infrastructure is designed. A prototype called trustGuard using WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) and JEE (Java Enterprise Edition) technologies is also implemented.


Agriculture continues to be the backbone of Third World economies. In India, more than two-thirds of population depends on agriculture. Agriculture provides the principal means of livelihood for over 58.4% of India's population. So the promotion of agriculture is an integral part of developmental programmes. The advances through information technology and space technology need to be extended to agriculture as well. Agriculture is always vulnerable, because of unfavorable weather and climatic conditions. So, it needs constant monitoring to improve crop productivity. The linkages among crop varieties, irrigation, soil characteristics, weather, etc., which are the key factors in agricultural productivity can be effectively made with the help of Remote Sensing and GIS tools. Crop Simulation Model (CSM) is a valuable tool to researchers to help them to understand the influence of climatic variables on crop productivity. Simulation models also provide global edge to the farmers and researchers since they are objective, fast and cost effective. The scope of applicability of these simulation models can be extended too much broader scales for regional planning and policy analysis by combining their capabilities with a Geographic Information System (GIS). The principle of this study appeal to review on Remote Sensing (RS), GIS and CSM, and on types of models and its limitations. Overview of CSM models in the current scenario, as well utilization of RS and GIS tools that model the impacts of agricultural interventions. Accepted: 26 July 2017 Available Online: 06 August 2017


Understanding the molecular basis of antibiotic resistance is of great importance since antibiotic resistance is an ever growing public health problem. Pathogenic bacteria can accumulate resistance against antibiotics via horizontal gene transfer and spontaneous mutations. One of the most prevalent resistance mechanisms is increased antibiotic tolerance as a result of spontaneous mutations on the enzymes that are targeted by antibiotic molecules. Here, in this study, we investigated how ecological factors influence genetic trajectories that lead to antibiotic resistance. In a custom made continuous culture device that we call the Morbidostat, we evolved several wild type Escherichia coli populations against trimethoprim where six of these populations were continuously diluted with a mild dilution factor (~0.3 hour-1) and remaining seven populations were continuously diluted with a strong dilution factor (~0.6 hour-1).At the end of four weeks, all of the populations evolved to similar levels of trimethoprim resistance in a stepwise manner by accumulating three or four mutations on the promoter and coding regions of DHFR gene. The first mutation was almost always on the promoter region and the following first amino acid replacement on the protein was chosen from the sector regions we predicted by Statistical Coupling Analysis (SCA). Strikingly, evolutionary trajectories of the populations that evolved under strong dilution were far from predictability and population structures were highly heterogeneous. Prolonged clonal interference was abundantly observed in the populations evolving under strong dilution. Our results suggest that evolution of resistance highly depend on fitness constraints imposed by ecological factors.


HELLP syndrome is a collection of symptoms described as hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets. HELLP syndrome complicates 0.01-0.6% of pregnancies and can be considered a severe variant of preeclampsia. The occurrence of HELLP syndrome diagnosed before the 20th week of gestation has been most commonly reported in association with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) or triploid chromosomal anomalies. A 41-year-old primigravida was admitted at 17 weeks and 6 days gestation with hypertension, proteinuria, hemolytic anemia and acute renal injury. She was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, and subsequently suffered from an intrauterine fetal demise. After delivery, the clinical manifestations of HELLP syndrome resolved within 7 days with the exception of her acute renal failure. Interdisciplinary teams of physicians were able to exclude other imitators of preeclampsia, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), APS, lupus and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. This case is difficult to diagnose, given the similar presentation of several microangiopathic hemolytic anemias. The clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of HELLP and its mimicking conditions seem as if they are mirror images of each other. However, the discrete differences in our patient presentation, clinical findings, laboratory results and overall postpartum course leave HELLP syndrome as the most consistent diagnosis. It is imperative to investigate for all possible etiologies as HELLP syndrome at 17 weeks gestation is extremely rare and mimicking conditions may require alternative management strategies.


Stand-alone, diesel engine-driven synchronous generators have been widely used for emergency supply of plants, isolated islands, etc. Even though the speed of the diesel engine is controlled using high performance governors in order to keep the output frequency constant, the output frequency changes when there is a step change in the load. In this paper, we propose a new stand-alone generator that uses the rotor excitation of a wound-rotor induction machine, an inverter and capacitors. We show that the proposed power generating system maintains a constant amplitude, constant frequency output voltage despite several percentage change in the rotor speed.


Using existing permanent research plot data, we developed equations
for predicting height-to-crown-base (HCB), 5-yr diametergrowth
rate (delta D), 5-yr height-growth rate (delta H), 5-yr mortality
rate (PM), and the maximum size-density trajectory for Douglasfir
and western hemlock in the coastal region of the Pacific
Northwest. With the exception of the HCB equation, the equations
developed for predicting trees from untreated plots agreed
in predictive behavior with previously published equations for the
study area. The HCB equation predicted shorter HCB (and therefore
longer crown lengths [CL]) than previously published equations
for the study area. Western hemlock showed no response to fertilization. Modifiers
for fertilization response were incorporated into the final equations
for predicting delta D, delta H, and PM in Douglas-fir. All three
modifiers for Douglas-fir predicted an increase in growth and
mortality rates with the amount of nitrogen applied and a decrease
with number of years since fertilization, with most of the
fertilization effect gone within 15 yr of application. For the delta D
and delta H modifiers, the size of the increase varied by the site index
(SI) of the plot, with plots of lower site quality showing greater
increases. For delta D, fertilization response did not appear to vary
by plot density, tree size, or tree position within the plot. Modifiers for thinning response were incorporated into the final
equations for predicting tree delta D for both species and delta H for
Douglas-fir. For both species, the delta D thinning-effects modifier
predicted an increased growth rate with the proportion of the BA
removed and a decrease with years since thinning; most of the
thinning effect was gone within 10 yr. For Douglas-fir, the delta H thinning-effects modifier predicted a reduced growth rate immediately
after thinning, with the size of the reduction increasing
with the intensity of thinning. Most of the reduction was gone
by about 10 yr.
For Douglas-fir, the combined effect on delta D and delta H of applying
both thinning and fertilization could be adequately characterized
by the product of the thinning modifier and the fertilization
modifier. The percent increase in predicted growth rate due to a
combined treatment thus was greater than the sum of the percent
increases for each treatment alone.
Analysis of the maximum size-density trajectory data strongly
suggests that plots of neither species approach a single maximum
stand density index value (SDI) as they develop. The potential
yield for a given site therefore depends, not only on its SI, but
also on its maximum SDI. Fertilization does not appear to affect
the intercept of the maximum size-density line for Douglas-fir. The strengths and weaknesses of the existing data sets and the
modeling and analytical approaches tested during development of
these equations are presented to aid future modelers, and alternative
modeling approaches are explored.


Shot in the city of Heart, western Afghanistan 1994, in the period between the fall of the last leftist government and the coming of the Taliban, this is a portrait film of an outstanding musician, Ustad Rahim Khushnawaz. He was a master of the Afghan rubab, a double-chambered plucked lute with sympathetic strings. Using the observational cinema style the film shows Ustad Rahim in various contexts. These include a guided tour of the photos in his music room that recount his musical career, being at home with his wife and children, showing off his pigeons, erecting the tombstone for his father's grave, and teaching and playing the rubab. Of particular interest is the gormani ritual, a gathering of musicians where Rahim accepts a new student.


Unstimulated human platelets from normal volunteers adhere to sulfatides (galactosylceramide-I3-sulfate) as single cells but do not adhere appreciably to other lipids including gangliosides, neutral glycolipids, phospholipids or cholesterol-3-So4. Platelet adhesion to suHatide is saturable and dose-dependent, reaches maximal levels in 90 to L20 min, and is not divalent cationdependent. Because sulfatides bind von Willebrand factor (vWf) with specificity and high affinity and platelet adhesion to structurally related sulfated glycolipids is approximately proportionate to their ability to bind vwf, we examined whether vWf mediates platelet adhesion to sulfatides. Platelets from a patient with severe Type I von Willebrand's disease adhere poorly to sulfatides. However, adhesion to levels seen with normal platelets is restored by the addition of vWf. Adhesion of normal platelets can be partially inhibited by a monospecific antibody to vWf. Normal platelet adhesion to sulfatides, however, is not increased following preincubation with vWf. Both vWf binding and platelet adhesion to suHatides can be inhibited by the sulfated polysaccharide dextran sulfate at low concentration, fucoidan at high concentrations, but not by heparin, fibrinogen, fibronectin, or the synthetic peptides Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro or Gly-Arg-GlyGlu-Ser-Pro. Thus, adhesion to sulfatides appears to be of two types; vWf dependent (50:75%) and vWf independent (25-50%).


Analytical expressions involving both system parameters and step-size are proposed to represent the local simulation error for the symmetrized split-step Fourier (SSSF) simulation method. This analytical expression can be used for a step-size selection rule to achieve comparable local simulation accuracy for SSSF simulations. This can lead to computational savings since there is no waste of computation in each simulation step. Furthermore, based on the local error expression, scaling rules are derived to achieve comparable global simulation accuracy for wide ranges of key system parameter values. This is significant in enhancing the computational efficiency in optical fiber communication system design and optimization. Extensive validation tests were performed to explore the application range of the proposed step-size selection and scaling rules. The desired global accuracy can be achieved with the use of our local error expression and scaling rules by only a couple of test trial simulation runs for a variety of practical applications.


Retinal laser spots are often over- or underexposed due to inhomogeneities of fundus pigmentation or variations in the radiation power impinging on the retina. We developed a method to control the exposure time of each individual spot of retinal laser photocoagulation in real time. The laser light reflected from the spot area is recorded by a detector. The intensity of this light increases during the exposure due to bleaching of the retinal pigment. If the reflected light reaches a predefined level, the laser apparatus is immediately stopped by a computer, which controls the whole process. The procedure was tested in enucleated porcine eyes. After verification of the proper function, a pilot study in a small collective of 19 patients (20 eyes, 25 sessions) with clear optical media was performed. In all cases, the apparatus worked safely. Visible indications for overexposed spots, particularly bleeding in extreme cases, did not occur. However, about 2%-5% of the spots were underexposed, mainly due to eye movements of the patient during the coagulation. Large variations in the automatically controlled exposure time confirm the difficulty in properly adjusting this parameter without such an automatic device. However, to be applicable to patients with opaque optical media, the method must be improved.


In a desire to more comprehensively understand the personal contributions of individual workers to their learning at work and to more fully account for the complexities that define these contributions, this chapter argues that the relational interdependence that constitutes workers, learning and work may be best conceptualised as negotiation. Within this negotiation, individual workers' participative practices may be seen as transacted through their agentic conduct and control of their engagement within them. The agency of the individual worker becomes the locus of action that initiates and sustains the negotiation of worker, learning and work. Learning as mediating practice may then be understood as a transaction, an exchange of value that enacts the personal value of the capacities, interests and priorities of the individual worker. Doing so, offers a means of overcoming the inaccurate separation of worker and work that characterises sociocultural models of learning based in conceptions of co-participation as interactivity.


Recently, a projection neural network has been shown to be a promising computational model for solving variational inequality problems with box constraints. This letter presents an extended projection neural network for solving monotone variational inequality problems with linear and nonlinear constraints. In particular, the proposed neural network can include the projection neural network as a special case. Compared with the modified projection-type methods for solving constrained monotone variational inequality problems, the proposed neural network has a lower complexity and is suitable for parallel implementation. Furthermore, the proposed neural network is theoretically proven to be exponentially convergent to an exact solution without a Lipschitz condition. Illustrative examples show that the extended projection neural network can be used to solve constrained monotone variational inequality problems.


Parasites are major effectors of natural selection and also play a role in sexual selection processes. Haemosporidian blood parasites are common in vertebrates and have been shown to vary in their effects depending on both the parasite and host species, on the host trait investigated as well as on host condition and stage of infection. Here we investigated infection of adult barn swallows Hirundo rustica by Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus species during the chronic stage of infection and the consequences for host fitness traits. Prevalence was higher than 10% only for Plasmodium. Chronic stage infection by Plasmodium was associated with reduced female breeding success, but did not affect breeding dates. Infection did not affect the expression of male secondary sexual traits (tail length and melanin-based plumage coloration), but was associated with paler coloration of females. Finally, we found a negative effect of infection by Plasmodium on feather growth rate in older but not in yearling individuals. Because feathers are moulted during wintering in sub-Saharan Africa where infection of barn swallows by Plasmodium occurs, our results suggest that male secondary sexual traits have little potential to reveal acute-stage infection whereas plumage coloration of females may advertise their infection status. In addition, these results suggest that infection by Plasmodium can influence the course of plumage moult. Thus, our results add to the observations of negative effects of haemosporidian infection on fitness traits in birds and provides evidence that these effects can vary among traits and in relation to age and sex.


Background: Claudin's gene are associated with various aberrant physiological and cellular signaling. However, the association of claudins with survival prognosis, signaling pathways, and diagnostic efficacy in colon cancer remain lacking. Methods: We used various bioinformatics methods, including differential expression analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), protein-protein interaction (PPI), survival analysis, single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), mutation analysis, and identifying receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of claudins in the TCGA colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). Results: We found that: CLDN2, CLDN1, CLDN14, CLDN16, CLDN18, CLDN9, CLDN12, and CLDN6 are elevated in COAD. In contrast, the CLDN8, CLDN23, CLDN5, CLDN11, CLDN7, and CLDN15 are downregulated in COAD. Various claudin's genes are mutated and associated with diagnostic efficacy in the COAD. Conclusions: Claudin's genes are associated with prognosis, immune regulation, signaling pathway regulations, and diagnosis. These findings may provide new molecular insight into the treatment of colon cancer.


It is common practice to use ground-motion models, often developed by regression on recorded accelerograms, to predict the expected earthquake response spectra at sites of interest. An important consideration when selecting these models is the possible dependence of ground motions on geographical region, i.e., are median ground motions in the (target) region of interest for a given magnitude and distance the same as those in the (host) region where a ground-motion model is from, and are the aleatoric variabilities of ground motions also similar? These questions can be particularly difficult to tackle in many regions of the world where little observed strong-motion data is available since there are few records to validate the choice of model. Reasons for regionally dependent ground motions are discussed and possible regional dependence of earthquake response spectra is examined using published ground-motion models, observed accelerograms and also by using ground motions predicted by published stochastic models. It is concluded that although some regions seem to show considerable differences in spectra it is currently more defensible to use well-constrained models, possibly based on data from other regions, rather than use predicted motions from local, often poorly-constrained, models.


Despite archaeological interest in the study of the origins of public architecture in the Andes, there remain a number of gaps in our knowledge, especially in the area between the Chancay and Lurin Valleys on the central coast of Peru. This situation may, in part, result from how we have approached the study of the Formative period. In particular, the lack of intensive studies in several types of sites and valleys means that we have incomplete knowledge of wider settlement systems. As a result, we know very little about the existence of smaller settlements, only the great public centres. Nor do we understand how the unique occupational histories of each site and valley developed. This is despite the fact that investigations of the period began with middens and sites with modest architecture such as Bellavista or Ancón (Uhle 1906; Rosas 2007). Yet this shortcoming has not been an obstacle to formulating explanatory models, which have focused on the origin of early public architecture. The current dominant explanatory model for the emergence of architectural monumentality focuses on the concept of the concentration of power (e.g. Haas 1982; Trigger 1990). Our project at El Pacífico takes a different perspective, seeing these mounds as a palimpsest of social experiences and socially constructed places to preserve community memory and traditional patterns of life (Dillehay 1990; Tilley 1994; Rosenswig & Burger 2012; Flores 2014).


Two samples of preschool children (471 attending Head Start, 472 in a community sample) were observed with regard to their initiations of negative interactions. Scores for three dimensions of aggression viewed as salient by preschool teachers were also derived from observational data. Observation and sociometric assessments were used to characterize children's social competence. Normative declines in negative behavior and aggression scales were observed for some measures. Children attending Head Start programs tended to have higher scores for negative initiations and for one aggression scale, but these results are qualified by significant gender by sample interactions. Further analyses revealed coherence among the negative behavior and aggression variables; however, for the most part, aggression and negative behavior measures were positive predictors of social competence in both samples. We conclude that aggression and negative interactions per se need not be construed as evidence of low social competence for preschool children and that, to the extent that conflicts among preschoolers may be a source of social cognitive growth, such behaviors may have a positive impact on social development at these ages.


Chondrocyte and cartilage matrix can in the course of time lose in quality due to nutritive, toxic and enzymatic influences but also due to excessive mechanical usage so that the hyaline articular cartilage can no longer fulfill its function as a hydro-elastic bumper. This results in progressive mechanical cartilage destruction and sclerosing reconstruction of the subchondral bone. The parts of the matrix that are freed by the mechanical abrasion can function as inflammatory mediators and set an accompanying synovitis going. It is this secondary synovitis that then leads to a painful manifestation of osteoarthritis. In this case, an antiphlogistic therapy is necessary, because during a secondary synovitis cytokines are set free that endanger the yet intact articular cartilage.


Inspired by the call in Demsetz's "Barriers to Entry" for assessing the implications of occupational licensing, we examine how the 2015 Food Safety Law (FSL) affects e-commerce in China. The FSL requires most food sellers on e-commerce platforms to obtain off-line licenses. On the basis of its gradual rollout on Alibaba, we find that larger and more-reputable sellers display an FSL license earlier, and buyers are more willing to transact with a licensed seller, especially if the seller is younger and unestablished. This suggests that the license is informative. Market-wide, the average quality of surviving sellers has improved and seller concentration has increased since the FSL. The platform's gross merchandise value for food did not decline, nor did the average sales price increase 1 year into full enforcement. This suggests that the FSL does not hamper long-term market performance, probably because it enhances seller quality and market transparency.


We study the schedulability analysis problem for nonpreemptive scheduling algorithms on multiprocessors. To our best knowledge, the only known work on this problem is the test condition proposed by Baruah for non-preemptive EDF scheduling, which will reject a task set with arbitrarily low utilization if it contains a task whose execution time is equal or greater than the minimal relative deadline among all tasks. In this paper, we firstly derive a linear-time test condition which avoids the problem mentioned above, by building upon previous work for preemptive multiprocessor scheduling. This test condition works on not only non-preemptive EDF, but also any other work-conserving non-preemptive scheduling algorithms. Then we improve the analysis and present test conditions of pseudo-polynomial time-complexity for Non-preemptive Earliest Deadline First scheduling and Non-preemptive Fixed Priority scheduling respectively. Experiments with randomly generated task sets show that our proposed test conditions, especially the improved test conditions, have significant performance improvements compared with [BAR-EDFnp].


Porous ceramics green bodies of silicon carbide were formed by freeze-casting of silicon carbide/carbon black aqueous slurries in a mold where temperature distribution was controlled. The influence of solid loading on the pore structure of green bodies was investigated. Pore morphology of green bodies formed from slurries with various solid loading ranging from 25 to 50vol% experienced a gradual change. Appropriate solid loading of silicon carbide/carbon black slurry was concluded for fabrication of SiC ceramics with oriented pore structure. Two means were employed for changing ice crystallizing velocity, so that the influence of ice crystallizing velocity on pore size of green bodies was explored. It was concluded that pore size became larger under slow freezing condition, whereas smaller with the pre-cooling of silicon carbide/carbon black slurry.


This study was conducted to verify the compliance of vehicular and pedestrian LED traffic signal modules with the Institute of Transportation Engineers specifications; and to assess drivers' preferences of the LED modules. Four vehicular modules (ACS, Dialight, Leotek, and Lumination) and three pedestrian LED modules (Dialight, Leotek, and Lumination) were used. The compliance verification primarily involved reviewing the independent-lab testing reports, visual inspection of the modules, and analyzing the manufacturers' responses to the questionnaires prepared by the research team. The solid LED modules provided by ASC had several issues with compliance with the ITE specification; however, the modules from other companies either complied or complied with reservation with all the ITE Specifications. No general conclusions were made for the arrow modules since at the time of completion of this study, ITE had not adopted a final specification for them. For pedestrian modules, all companies submitted independent lab test reports for some of the modules, but not for all. The reports showed that all these modules either complied with, or complied with reservation with most of the ITE specifications. To assess drivers' preferences, 120 drivers participated in the evaluation of the modules. For solid modules in daytime, the participants' ratings for the ASC were significantly higher than the other three companies. In nighttime, the ASC red module was rated much brighter than the Leotek module. However, for solid yellow and green modules, the brightness was rated the same for all companies. For red arrow modules in daytime when looking straight ahead, Dialight was rated similar to ASC, but significantly higher than Lumination and Leotek. However, for yellow and green arrows, Dialight was rated higher than all other three companies were. For all three colors of the arrow modules in daytime when looking at an angle, Dialight and ASC were rated significantly higher than Leotek and Lumination. For the pedestrian modules in daytime, the separate 12" Dialight module was rated significantly higher than the Leotek and Lumination modules. For 12" combination modules, Leotek and Dialight were rated higher than Lumination. For the 16"*18" combination modules, Lumination was rated significantly higher than Dialight. In rating the traffic modules, all of the respondents chose brightness, 93% chose color, and 88% selected uniformity as an important factor. The most important factor was brightness for 74%, color for 26%, and uniformity for 27% of the participants. In rating of the pedestrian modules, all of the respondents chose brightness, 94% chose color, 90% selected uniformity, and 70% selected size as an important factor. The most important factor was brightness for 75%, color for 25%, uniformity for 25%, and size for 23% of the participants.


The Course Syllabus is easily the most important document that you will prepare for a course: it sets the tone of the course, determines the depth, scope and sequence of the content, explicates boundaries and expectations for student and instructor behaviors and interaction, establishes the procedures and norms of assessment, and provides resources for additional information and context. This document will guide you to prepare a syllabus that not only meets the legal and accreditation standards for UNC Charlotte, but also serves as a dynamic curricular resource for both your students and yourself. This document serves as a textual companion to the accompanying syllabus templates for Microsoft Word and Moodle.


Unsupervised learning with generative adversarial networks (GANs) has proven hugely successful. Regular GANs hypothesize the discriminator as a classifier with the sigmoid cross entropy loss function. However, we found that this loss function may lead to the vanishing gradients problem during the learning process. To overcome such a problem, we propose in this paper the Least Squares Generative Adversarial Networks (LSGANs) which adopt the least squares loss function for the discriminator. We show that minimizing the objective function of LSGAN yields minimizing the Pearson X2 divergence. There are two benefits of LSGANs over regular GANs. First, LSGANs are able to generate higher quality images than regular GANs. Second, LSGANs perform more stable during the learning process. We evaluate LSGANs on LSUN and CIFAR-10 datasets and the experimental results show that the images generated by LSGANs are of better quality than the ones generated by regular GANs. We also conduct two comparison experiments between LSGANs and regular GANs to illustrate the stability of LSGANs.


This paper studies the relationship between credit default swap (CDS) spreads for the Energy sector and oil futures dynamics. Using data on light sweet crude oil futures from 2004 to 2013, which contains a crisis period, we examine the importance of volatility and jumps extracted from the futures in explaining CDS spread changes. The analysis is performed at an index level and by rating group; as well as for the pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis periods. Our findings are consistent with Merton's theoretical framework. At an index level, futures jumps are important when explaining CDS spread changes, with negative jumps having higher impact during the crisis. The continuous volatility part is significant and positive, indicating that futures volatility conveys relevant information for the CDS market. As for the analysis per rating group, negative jumps have an increasing importance as the credit rating deteriorates and during the crisis period, while the results for positive jumps and futures volatility are mixed. Overall, the relation between the CDS market and the futures market is stronger during volatile periods and strengthened after the Global Financial Crisis.


In November 1997 The New NHS - Modern, Dependable was published, describing the British Labour government's plans to introduce major changes to the NHS (National Health Service). Education and Training Consortia (ETCs) were only briefly referred to and no direct changes were proposed to them. It can be argued that this was because they had not fitted well within the Conservative government's competitive culture of the NHS internal market. Education Consortia members share information, make plans collectively and work collaboratively, activities much more appropriate for the 'New NHS' which is underpinned by the concepts of partnership, openness and local ownership. In this paper it is argued that there are many valuable lessons that the key individuals involved in implementing the policies of the New NHS can learn from Education and Training Consortia. Data have been drawn from a qualitative study in which the aim was to explore the development, implementation and management of consortia and contracting for non-medical education and training (NMET) from a stakeholder's perspective. One of the unexpected themes that emerged from the analysis of the data, was that the development of ETCs could be utilized as a model for many of the innovations in the New NHS, particularly in relation to the formation of primary care groups.


The interface between perovskites and charge transport layers is crucial for the power conversion efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We report for the first time the exploration of three novel fullerene derivatives, N-ethyl-2-arylvinyl-5-methyl fulleropyrrolidine (NAMF) with H, Cl or Br substitutions on the pyrrolidine side-chain (namely NAMF-H, NAMF-Cl and NAMF-Br), via a low cost and one-step reaction from C60, as the interlayer to enhance the efficiency and eliminate hysteresis in planar heterojunction PSCs. The crystallinity of MAPbI3 perovskite cast on these interlayer materials was found to be similar, but the grain size increased and the grain boundaries reduced. All three fullerene derivatives have well-aligned LUMO levels that facilitate electron transport from the perovskite to TiO2, and reduce trap density and charge recombination in PSCs, leading to enhanced device efficiency and reduced hysteresis. Notably, the NAMF-Cl interlayer was found to chlorinate the TiO2 electron transport layer, leading to an enhanced PCE of 19.2% in the reverse scan and 17.7% in the forward scan, which were greater than those of PCBM-based PSC devices. Our work adds a new direction to the design of new fullerene derivatives with favorable physical and electrical properties as interlayer materials to improve the performance of PSCs.


Digital medical technologies or computer aided medical procedures, refer to imaging, 3D reconstruction, virtual design, 3D printing, navigation guided surgery and robotic assisted surgery techniques. These techniques are integrated into conventional surgical procedures to create new clinical protocols that are known as "digital surgical techniques". Conventional health care is characterized by subjective experiences, while digital medical technologies bring quantifiable information, transferable data, repeatable methods and predictable outcomes into clinical practices. Being integrated into clinical practice, digital techniques facilitate surgical care by improving outcomes and reducing risks. Digital techniques are becoming increasingly popular in trauma surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, imaging and anatomic sciences. Robotic assisted surgery is also evolving and being applied in general surgery, cardiovascular surgery and orthopedic surgery. Rapid development of digital medical technologies is changing healthcare and clinical practices. It is therefore important for all clinicians to purposefully adapt to these technologies and improve their clinical outcomes.


A DAG automaton is a formal device for manipulating graphs. By augmenting a DAG automaton with transduction rules, a DAG transducer has potential applications in fundamental NLP tasks. In this paper, we propose a novel DAG transducer to perform graph-to-program transformation. The target structure of our transducer is a program licensed by a declarative programming language rather than linguistic structures. By executing such a program, we can easily get a surface string. Our transducer is designed especially for natural language generation (NLG) from type-logical semantic graphs. Taking Elementary Dependency Structures, a format of English Resource Semantics, as input, our NLG system achieves a BLEU-4 score of 68.07. This remarkable result demonstrates the feasibility of applying a DAG transducer to resolve NLG, as well as the effectiveness of our design.


Resources to support the Working with Seniors modules at Michener. To access this guide after the course has ended, please visit this site directly at http://guides.michener.ca/seniors.


The genome of a 650 year old Yersinia pestis bacteria, responsible for the medieval Black Death, was recently sequenced and assembled into 2,105 contigs from the main chromosome. According to the point mutation record, the medieval bacteria could be an ancestor of most Yersinia pestis extant species, which opens the way to reconstructing the organization of these contigs using a comparative approach. We show that recent computational paleogenomics methods, aiming at reconstructing the organization of ancestral genomes from the comparison of extant genomes, can be used to correct, order and complete the contig set of the Black Death agent genome, providing a full chromosome sequence, at the nucleotide scale, of this ancient bacteria. This sequence suggests that a burst of mobile elements insertions predated the Black Death, leading to an exceptional genome plasticity and increase in rearrangement rate.


From the beginning of the Russian invasion, Western countries have rallied behind Ukraine and the war narrative of defending democracy against authoritarianism. Nevertheless, this binary narrative has been of limited appeal to developing countries and authors have discussed how the revival of great power competition around this narrative risks reinforcing the democratic decline. Considering these limitations, how can the academic community work to counteract a return to the kind of binary thinking that has been reanimated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine? To answer this question, I draw a parallel between responses to the war in Ukraine and how Western countries are handling the issue of human rights in China, including the emergence of a binary narrative that pits Chinese against Western visions of these rights. I argue that Western countries' lack of self-reflectivity in defending values has hindered a genuine engagement with their own weaknesses. These weaknesses have thus been exploited by authoritarian countries. As democracy - like human rights - has been invoked as much to question oppression as to legitimate the status quo and economic interests, there is a need for scholars to scientifically engage with the geopolitical motives for defending values. We should not shy away from such research because of fears of instrumentalisation by authoritarian countries, as self-criticism will help rebuild the legitimacy and credibility that democracies increasingly lack.


AI has generally interpreted the organized nature of everyday activity in terms of plan-following. Nobody could doubt that people often make and follow plans. But the complexity, uncertainty, and immediacy of the real world require a central role for moment-tomoment improvisation. But before and beneath any planning ahead, one continually decides what to do now. Investigation of the dynamics of everyday routine activity reveals important regularities in the interaction of very simple machinery with its environment. We have used our dynamic theories to design a program, called Pengi, that engages in complex, apparently planful activity without requiring explicit models of the world.